Moving to 15 minute changeovers on new Koenig & Bauer from two hour changeovers on older presses

Gaining speed, efficiency, and flexibility for more special effects and complex products

When Performance POP signed a contract last year for the June 2018 delivery of a new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 seven-color plus coater press, the deal capped a hunt for a new fully automated machine that would provide this innovative print and display solutions specialist with the room to grow its roster of specialized products for its Fortune 500 customers with additional special effects and custom solutions.

“We’re seeing a significant shift in our coast-to-coast customer base from traditional to more specific markets, such as nationwide retail and restaurant organizations as well as trading card suppliers and the beverage industry,” says Taylor White, CEO of the 200 employee Dallas-based firm. “It’s a very competitive market but with the installation of our new Koenig & Bauer press, we’ll be equipped to answer our clients’ demands and realize their designer’s dreams.”

Performance POP’s client roster is a who’s who of the leading names in the retail market. It is tasked with producing attention-grabbing point-of-purchase (POP) displays for retail or on-premise and off-premise promotions, eye-popping printed 3D or motion graphics, UV printing on both plastics and paper, metallic substrates, inline aqueous and UV coatings, and innovative dimensional print and display solutions and a wide array of in-house finishing capabilities. The firm produces 60% of its work on offset presses with the remaining 40% on digital and screen presses. Its work can be prominently seen in the aisles of beer, wine, and liquor stores, leading retail shops, and other major venues.

By inking the contract for its new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 press, Performance POP is signaling its intention to “up the ante” and boost its speed, efficiency, and flexibility as well as broaden its special effects capabilities such as metallic 3D, lenticular, water activated ink, temperature sensitive ink, scented ink, liquid coating and red reveal. Once the three non-Koenig & Bauer presses are removed, the pressroom will be anchored with a sleek new blue and grey press carrying the corporate logo and unique colors from Koenig & Bauer, an instantly recognizable mechanized machine with the latest features.

“We’re equipping the press with the latest 2018 systems such as the QualiTronic Measuring system, which will provide precise color control measurement of each sheet, together with FAPC Full Automatic Plate Changing, parallel washing and make ready features, and smart automated logistics,” says White. “These unique systems will provide us with ultra-fast 15 minute changeovers as compared to our two hour changeovers on older presses. We’ll be gaining speed, efficiency, and flexibility for more special effects and complex products. Our press will come with the latest drying package from Koenig & Bauer; the Koenig & Bauer VariDry together with the coating unit will support the special effects. We’ve also equipped the Rapida 106 with a unique drying package, which is a combination of traditional UV and the latest LED UV technology. This will allow us to set up the drying configuration specific to the stock we are running and job details we are producing. This is a big part of the press. Our highly-trained press operators are eager to begin production with the new press to derive better results on our new Koenig & Bauer press than our three existing older presses as well as flawless fulfillment.”

Performance POP, which is celebrating its 37th anniversary in 2018, provides a variety of innovative, point-of-purchase products and oversized and complex visuals, ranging from printing through fulfillment and installation, countertop displays to kiosks, and store rollouts. It has gained a reputation as a trusted advisor and partner in helping the nation’s leading retailers visually communicate with their customers.

White began his partnership with KBA North America in 2014 when he purchased a Koenig & Bauer Genius 52UV small format press, which is still a key production member for its short-run, quick turnaround jobs primarily on plastic substrates. When it came time to upgrade his 40-inch offset press models, White and his management team surveyed the printing press manufacturer landscape but in the end gave the nod to Koenig & Bauer. They won the bid because they could build a custom press with our press specifications, says White. “We also felt the mechanics of the press were much stronger. Plus we’ve had an on-going relationship with them and they are nearby neighbors in the Dallas area,” he says.

“Despite challenges in the retail market, we see point-of-purchase remaining strong,” says White. “That’s because our work is more critically important for retailers. Brick and mortar stores are being marketed as a destination environment. Our job is to provide high quality, custom solutions for our retail brand customers with imagination and impact, allowing them to stand up and out from the competition. Our business is growing and the new Koenig & Bauer Rapida press is critical to our success.”

Left to right: Chris Travis, KBA North America director of technology, visits with Taylor White, CEO of Performance POP, to discuss the new features on the soon-to-be-installed Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 seven-color plus coater press.